Best SHTF load.

I've had my g20 for over a year now and I Absolutely love it. Since getting mine both my brothers have gotten them and now my dads got two! I've been commissioned by the family to load us up a crap load of 10mm (I'm the one with the Dillion 650). I've got several loads right now that I use. 1. 135gr nosler at 1500fps. For home defence 2. 200gr BTHC at 1230fps for woods carry. 3. 180gr delta fmj at 1200fps for practice. I'd like a recommendation for a bullet best suited for all out hell braking lose, on person performance, barrier Penetration ie car window glass, sheet metal or sheet rock. I'm thinking of something in the 165 to 200gr range. Loaded full power but not nuke. I'm thinking xtp or gold dot or the rem bullet. Maybe a vel recommendation also. I don't want to run them to fast.

It's one of the great decisions in the shooting world but basically it comes down to;

" you pays your money, you takes your chances"

By that I mean that no one load is perfect for everything. There are too many needs to be met for it to be covered equally by one load. If you want one load that can do most things well you will have to compromise on some things.

In the 10mm I like a 200 gn XTP or cast bullet up in the high 1,100s to 1,200. It won't fail for lack of penetration or bullet break up on tough targets. I load most of my "over forty" revolvers to around that level with a 200plus grain bullet, depending on caliber. It is my preference since I feel that if light bullets at high velocity impressed me that much, I'd probably carry a different round.

U need a cast hp. It would work great for all your needs. The shallow hp I used for hunting this year has great exp and will penetrate metal yet. Holds together great. In fluid it exp perfect. In solid it just flattens the nose and goes through. Its a mihec mold from a group buy. I have 2. I may be willing to sell one. Maybe. I like the mold so much I kinda like the idea of having a spare.

I would not want a nuclear load for SHTF. You'll need ease of accurate shooting since you may be hungry, cold, injured etc. You should anticipate rapid shooting up close on one day and a 100 Yard shot the next. Penetration may also be a life saver.

I agree with those suggesting either the 180 gr XLT or the same bullet in 200 gr. The 180 gr reloads easily to 1,200-1,250 fps with good control. The 200 gr reloads well to 1,100-1,150 fps with the factory barrel. I'd go with which ever on you and the gun shoot the best...though I think the 200gr XLT is the one to beat for SHTF. YMMV of course.

__________________After all these years, I still find myself running against the wind

180 gr XTP @ 1200 fps or 200 gr XTP @ 1100 would take care of a lot of different problems. I have a decent of amount of both onhand, as it turns out. They are not full power 10mm, but highly serviceable.

For SHTF situations, I do not want to be going "full tilt" on muzzle energy. Additional margin for error is welcome for when it is critical that things run right.

Accurate no. 9 would be the powder. It is relatively low flash and extremely accurate with those projectiles and velocities.

__________________What a blow that was to us! And how it shamed us! All that brave talk by patriots, "The government will never take my guns away," and then nothing but meek submission when it happened.NRA Life MemberThe 10 Ring #1300

Thanks for the input guys. I'm thinking of the 200gr xtp around 1150fps. I think it might feel like less recoil than a 180 at 1250 or 1300fps.
Also we all have 40 lw conversions that work great. We've got several k 155gr LSWC for practice and a couple more k 180fmj loaded to Sami spec.

I would be interested in the result of 180 XTP or 200gr against vehicle doors. We've got wax (21Carrier) and gel (AndrewW) results but real life stuffs would be good (wild hogs and junk yard stuff). LOL

I would be interested in the result of 180 XTP or 200gr against vehicle doors. We've got wax (21Carrier) and gel (AndrewW) results but real life stuffs would be good (wild hogs and junk yard stuff). LOL

I have shot a lot of metal and wood with xtps. Honestly in wood it does not take much to stop them. Metal they will go through a car door but.not if u hit a support bracket. Cast blows right through. Cast is cheaper. U can make your own. Penetrate better. And will kill just as fast or faster. To me that makes it the perfect shtf load.

Also cast works great at slower speeds. So u can save powder with cast compared to jacketed.

I also tested 180 gr Gold Dot but got significantly less penetration than the tnoutdoors9 test. It's clear that the jacket opened early and explosively in his test, peeling back so far as to allow the bullet to penetrate more deeply but I have no idea why it did that in his test and acted entirely differently in my own test. I have since moved to firing four shots with each test so I'll probably go back and redo this test. There are a couple things that bother me and the first is that my bullet opened much more conventionally and in the same way as the other Gold Dots I've tested. The second concern is that, theoretically the 180 gr Gold Dot should have penetrated more deeply than the 165 gr but it was backwards.

I also tested 180 gr Gold Dot but got significantly less penetration than the tnoutdoors9 test. It's clear that the jacket opened early and explosively in his test, peeling back so far as to allow the bullet to penetrate more deeply but I have no idea why it did that in his test and acted entirely differently in my own test. I have since moved to firing four shots with each test so I'll probably go back and redo this test. There are a couple things that bother me and the first is that my bullet opened much more conventionally and in the same way as the other Gold Dots I've tested. The second concern is that, theoretically the 180 gr Gold Dot should have penetrated more deeply than the 165 gr but it was backwards.

I have seen this in other tests. The 165 grain GD is designed for high-speed, whereas the 180gr GD is not designed for speeds above 1200 or so feet per second. Ymmv of course.